SIERRA COUNTY — Two significant storm systems passed through Sierra County last week. The first was an atmospheric river, as described by the National Weather Service, dumping rain nearly continuously for three days straight (Wednesday, November 20th through Friday, November 22nd). Though around a foot of snow fell at the Yuba Pass, temperatures never fell far below freezing, and Highway 49 was kept clear. Still, Gold Lake Highway has now been closed for the season.
The North Yuba River at Goodyears Bar rose to a flow of 1570 cubic feet per second (cfs) on Thursday night, a rate similar to that of April this year. After the second storm system rolled in on Friday afternoon, the river jumped to a peak flow of 2900 cfs early Saturday Morning, very close to the highest flow rates seen all year.
Though a second storm system was expected to drop over a foot of snow at the Yuba Pass over the weekend, conditions were much milder than expected. The county experienced mostly rain rather than snow, and chain controls were never implemented over the Pass. Clear skies are expected for most of the coming week.